Kooragang Island is an industrial hub in the Lower Hunter, which supports a range of manufacturing and port activities. Following the Millenium Drought in 2002 to 2010, water use across the Island was critically reviewed with the goal of identifying end uses where drinking water could be replaced with recycled water.
At that time, Orica’s Kooragang Island operations were one of the largest consumers of drinking water in the Hunter, responsible for ~5% of the regional demand. With the majority of site’s end uses suitable for high quality recycled water, Orica was secured as a foundation partner in establishing the Kooragang Recycled Water Scheme. Hunter Water designed and delivered the scheme with operations commencing in late 2014 prior to a sale of the Kooragang Water business to coNEXA in 2017.
Treated effluent from the Shortland Wastewater Treatment Plant, which would have otherwise been discharged to the Hunter River, is diverted to coNEXA’s advanced recycled water plant at Mayfield West. Here the treated effluent undergoes processing via microfiltration, reverse osmosis and chlorination so the finished recycled water product is in accordance with National guidelines and can be safely used for a variety of industrial uses.
An expansion of the advanced water treatment plant in 2023, enabled Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group (NCIG) to connect to the scheme, so they can reduce their drinking water consumption by up to 50% each year. coNEXA Kooragang Water is currently in negotiations with a number of other water users on the Island, all driven by their desire to reduce consumption of drinking water and gain access to a drought proof source of sustainable water.
In December 2024, coNEXA joins with foundation partner Orica to celebrate 10 years of operation, over which time Kooragang Water has delivered 20,000,000,000 litres (20GL) of recycled water – this is the equivalent of 8,000 Olympic Pools or the annual water consumption of 120,000 households.
“Forward looking companies like Orica and NCIG, are fundamental to our business” said coNEXA CEO, Kurt Dahl. “As a producer of high-quality recycled water, we actively seek partners which understand their water footprint and value the resilience that comes from a non-potable supply.
“Our coNEXA Kooragang Water business is an exemplar of industry working together with public and private water utilities to deliver long-term sustainability outcomes, which benefit stakeholders and the broader community,” said Mr Dahl.
Orica Kooragang Island’s Manufacturing Centre Manager, Viney Kumar, said “Hitting these significant milestones caps off a remarkable run of environmental improvement projects completed at our site in recent years. We are incredibly proud of our sustainability journey and achievements.
“The Kooragang Island facility is a critical asset and an integral part of the company’s global operations. By continuously improving our environmental performance, we aim to future-proof the site for the benefit of the community and the local economy.”
The Kooragang Island facility supports Hunter Water’s Lower Hunter Water Security Plan (LHWSP), which is a whole-of-government approach to ensuring the region has a resilient and sustainable water future. “Businesses and industry across the Lower Hunter use approximately 30 per cent of water supplied to customers. We heard through the development of the LHWSP that our community wants a safe and reliable water supply, and that we should make the most of the water supplies we have. Recycled water initiatives help achieve that and support in the delivery of a sustainable and secure long-term water future,” said Matt Hingston, Hunter Water’s Executive Manager Customer Services.
coNEXA Kooragang Water and Orica will celebrate these two major milestones with our stakeholders at our Mayfield West advanced recycled water plant on 5th December 2024.
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